Paul Kulik spent 20 years cooking in Omaha before opening the Boiler Room Restaurant in 2009. Born in Berlin, and raised in Omaha, Paul began working in kitchens at the age of 15. When college called he dutifully pursued the career of his father, an engineer, and although Paul completed degrees in both Engineering Physics and French, his true interest lay in the kitchen.

Paul credits working with Stefan Lazle at Washington DC’s Montmartre for cementing his love of French technique. Though Paul spent time working in Chicago, Washington DC, Paris, and Berlin, his return to Omaha led him to current partners Mark and Vera Mercer’s La Buvette. The 5 years spent running the miniscule, francophilic wine bar helped Paul forge relationships with local growers and dedicated producers of top quality traditional foods.

As the daily changing menu employs the rustic European table sensibilities that make a meal first and foremost delicious, Paul’s food at the Boiler Room is rooted in the belief that quality at the table comes from the ground. Among Omaha’s premier dining venues, the Boiler Room is cultivating a renewed imaginative culinary culture in Omaha. Paul and the Boiler Room staff were invited to host a dinner at the James Beard Foundation House in New York City, and a year later Paul was named a James Beard Best Chef Midwest semi-finalist.

Paul has been fortunate to collaborate with the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts bringing performance are to life with Paul Renner and Vera Mercer. Other events include Emerging Terrain’s Stored Potential and Elevate, chef swaps with Clayton Chapman of The Grey Plume, fundraising events for the Guild of Sommeliers, as well as the California-based farm dinner series Outstanding in the Field.